Last Modified: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 5:29 p.m.

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The Public Education Foundation of Marion County, which operates the store, handed out popcorn, snow cones and other goodies to guests in recognition of the anniversary.

Osceola Middle School reading teacher David Steffey partnered with then-School Board member Judi Zanetti to create the store. Zanetti is now the foundation director.

Steffey, the 2014 Golden Apple teacher of the year and life-long Marion County resident, said the idea came when he visited a similar store in Orange County called “A Gift For Teaching.”

Knowing the recession was hitting families hard, which in turn meant many teachers were having to pay for more classroom supplies, he felt a similar store was needed in Marion County.

He contacted Zanetti, who donated $8,600 in unused campaign contributions to get the store off the ground.

In five years, there have been 12,500 teacher visits. The store has handed out $530,000 worth of free school supplies. More than $565,000 worth of supplies have been donated to the store since it opened on March 25, 2009.

The store is located at the foundation headquarters in the Thelma Parker Center behind Madison Street Elementary School.

Tools 4 Teaching has been a lifesaver for many teachers, whose classroom funding has been cut during the recession.

Osceola Middle sixth-grade math teacher Shizuka Campagna said she has been coming to the store since it opened to stock up on free supplies. She has saved hundreds of dollars.

“This is so wonderful,” said Campagna, adding she usually gets pencils, markers, crayons and paper for her students. She said the donations help since there are students whose families can’t afford classroom supplies.

Tools 4 Teaching was recently selected as an affiliate of the Kids in Need Foundation, a national network that has given away $400 million in school supplies since 1995.

On Tuesday, Tools 4 Teaching received $24,000 worth of supplies from Office Max in Orlando as part of the Kids In Need Foundation. In just 10 weeks this year, Tools 4 Teaching has received $43,000 in supplies thanks to that foundation.

The biggest operational change since Tools 4 Teaching opened is that now officials are taking online orders from teachers at six schools located in the far reaches of Marion County.

A few weeks each semester, teachers at those schools are emailed an order form to fill out. After the store fills the orders, school district couriers deliver the supplies.

<p>The Tools 4 Teaching store will turn 5 years old later this month, and on Wednesday people gathered to celebrate the upcoming birthday.</p><p>The Public Education Foundation of Marion County, which operates the store, handed out popcorn, snow cones and other goodies to guests in recognition of the anniversary.</p><p>Osceola Middle School reading teacher David Steffey partnered with then-School Board member Judi Zanetti to create the store. Zanetti is now the foundation director.</p><p>Steffey, the 2014 Golden Apple teacher of the year and life-long Marion County resident, said the idea came when he visited a similar store in Orange County called “A Gift For Teaching.”</p><p>Knowing the recession was hitting families hard, which in turn meant many teachers were having to pay for more classroom supplies, he felt a similar store was needed in Marion County.</p><p>He contacted Zanetti, who donated $8,600 in unused campaign contributions to get the store off the ground.</p><p>In five years, there have been 12,500 teacher visits. The store has handed out $530,000 worth of free school supplies. More than $565,000 worth of supplies have been donated to the store since it opened on March 25, 2009.</p><p>The store is located at the foundation headquarters in the Thelma Parker Center behind Madison Street Elementary School.</p><p>Tools 4 Teaching has been a lifesaver for many teachers, whose classroom funding has been cut during the recession.</p><p>Osceola Middle sixth-grade math teacher Shizuka Campagna said she has been coming to the store since it opened to stock up on free supplies. She has saved hundreds of dollars.</p><p>“This is so wonderful,” said Campagna, adding she usually gets pencils, markers, crayons and paper for her students. She said the donations help since there are students whose families can't afford classroom supplies.</p><p>Tools 4 Teaching was recently selected as an affiliate of the Kids in Need Foundation, a national network that has given away $400 million in school supplies since 1995.</p><p>On Tuesday, Tools 4 Teaching received $24,000 worth of supplies from Office Max in Orlando as part of the Kids In Need Foundation. In just 10 weeks this year, Tools 4 Teaching has received $43,000 in supplies thanks to that foundation.</p><p>The biggest operational change since Tools 4 Teaching opened is that now officials are taking online orders from teachers at six schools located in the far reaches of Marion County.</p><p>A few weeks each semester, teachers at those schools are emailed an order form to fill out. After the store fills the orders, school district couriers deliver the supplies.</p><p>The schools are: Dunnellon Elementary, Dunnellon High, Dunnellon Middle, Fort McCoy School, Romeo Elementary and Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary.</p><p><i>Contact Joe Callahan at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him twitter @JoeOcalaNews.</i></p>